Published in 1993, To Our Children's Children made writing a personal or family history as easy as writing a letter, and became a contemporary classic with more than 250,000 copies in print. At the end of that book, authors Bob Greene and his sister, D. G. Fulford, asked their readers this question: "If you had to write a note -- one note -- and leave it propped against the sugar bowl on your kitchen table for future generations to read, what would you say in that note?"

"Notes on the Kitchen Table" is a heart-warming collection of the answers that poured in from all over the country. They record the importance of kindness and hard work ("Keep your feet dry!" -- Harold Meyer, Fargo, North Dakota), of spiritual belief and respect for nature, of honesty and integrity and lifelong learning ("Take time to sit and dream". -- Dorothy O'Malley, Merryville, Indiana). They praise risk-taking and acknowledge adversity and imperfection ("If you can't be thankful for what you have, be thankful for what you've escaped". -- Alma Maisel, Martinsburg, West Virginia). They are words carried as tattered icons in wallets, or attached altarlike to refrigerator doors.

Enhanced with anecdotes and thumbnail profiles of many contributors, "Notes on the Kitchen Table" is a perfect gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and graduation -- plainspoken, generous, and filled with love.